iLeave
by A Writer's Right to Write
Summary: Freddie is fed up with his life and decides he wants to leave. He doesn't want to go without saying goodbye to Carly, but maybe he won't have to. CReDDIE
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: A story I wanted to write while I work on my other stories.**

**DISCLAIMED: I DON'T OWN ICARLY**

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><p>Carly Shay was a seventeen raven haired beauty that was grumbling about being woken up in the middle of the night. She didn't understand how somehow could be knocking on her door at three in the morning, and she really hated the fact that her brother, Spencer, was such a heavy sleeper. She had her best friend, Freddie Benson hook a speaker into her room that let her hear when someone knocked on the door since she was a very light sleeper.<p>

She walked downstairs and to the front door. "Freddie?" She asked surprised.

"Hey," the short brown haired boy said casually.

"And, you're here in the middle of the night because…?"

"I wanted to say goodbye."

Carly looked at him confused, but then she noticed the suitcase behind. "Freddie? What's going on?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm…Well, I'm leaving."

"Bushwell Plaza?"

"_Seattle_."

"Why?" Carly asked feeling overwhelmed.

Freddie sighed. "I'm sick of my life, Carly. I want something _new_, something _fresh_. I feel like I'm drowning here. If I stay here…If I stay, I think I might end up killing myself."

"_What_?" Carly asked horrified.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I enjoy iCarly and all that, but nothing else has been going well for me. Everyone at school treats me like I'm worthless and look what happened in that interview you guys had before you visited your grandpa in Yakima. I'm not considered important. I saw their technical crew and that will probably be my future if I keep going. That's why I'm leaving. I'm leaving Freddie Benson of iCarly behind. I'm leaving the old Freddie behind to start a new life."

"You can't just leave," Carly pleaded but Freddie grinned grimly.

"Can't I? The money we got for the Tech-Foots? I invested it. Barely spent a dime. I've got it all with me." Freddie laughed softly. "I know it'll be a step down going from living in this nice place to living in my van, but hey, I prefer that than getting trapped in a life I don't like. The show's taught me a lot over the years, you know? One thing that has always stuck though was the fun we had on it. Carly, _I'm not having fun anymore_."

"Why not?"

"Carly, we had to hire an intern. We can't do the work ourselves anymore. Look at what happened at Webicon and Nora. _You were interviewed for the show_. This isn't us messing around anymore. It hasn't been that for a while, but I've stuck with it. I figured the good outweighed the bad, you know? Then I got thinking lately about everything. We wanted to have fun. We wanted to enjoy our lives. That's why we created the show. That's not what we're doing anymore. Now it's work." Freddie laughed. "Boring old Freddie Benson wants to be a free spirit, can you believe that? Don't get me wrong. I'm not afraid of commitment or anything, but I don't see the point in continuing doing something that I don't enjoy anymore."

"We can, you know, end the show," Carly said tears in her eyes. "You don't have to…You don't _have _to leave."

Freddie smiled apologetically. "Carly, other than you and Sam I have no reason to stay. My mom and I aren't ever going to agree on anything again. Not since I had the chip removed. School? I'm starting to fail my grades. I just don't have the drive to stay here any longer." Freddie spread his arms wide. "This is a big world, Carly, and there's a lot to explore. I want to see as much of it as I can. I don't want to live with regrets."

"I don't want you to go."

He smirked. "You could come with if you want."

Carly's eyes bulged as her mind processed that. "Go…Go with you?"

"Sure, why not?" Freddie shrugged. "You and Sam have been on the rocks lately, and Spencer's been distant ever since he got that new girlfriend. I know you haven't been the happiest here."

"I…I don't know," Carly stuttered stepping back confused.

"Look, I'll wait one hour in my van. I haven't gotten rid of my phone yet. If you decide to go with me, just call me up before then all right? If you don't, I'm leaving without you." He looked very seriously at her. "I didn't make this decision on a whim, Carls. I've been thinking about this for a while, but I'm on a schedule right now. You've got to make up your mind, but you are the only one I'm making this offer to. I'm not bringing Sam along or Spencer or anyone else. Only you."

"Why me?" Carly asked feeling strangely flattered.

"Because of everyone I've ever met, you've always treated me the best. Sure, you weren't an angel, but you weren't a devil. You didn't ignore me when it didn't tickle your fancy like Spencer does or try to violently hurt you like Sam likes to do. You are the person I'll miss the most when I'm gone." He turned around and began to walk away. "Remember, one hour and that's it."

Carly closed the door and rushed to her room confused and unsure of what to do. How could Freddie just leave everything behind? How could he ask _her _to do the same? Okay, she'll admit that she's not enjoying iCarly nearly as much as she used to. The whole thing has become far too serious for her tastes and people are treating them like television characters instead of people now. Then there was Sam. Sam and she had been distant ever since Sam and Freddie broke up. They try to act like there wasn't a noticeable gap, but she could see it as clear as day. Sam was finding more and more excuses to not come over or to go home early.

Spencer would be the hardest, yet easiest person to leave. He was her big brother and she loved him, but his attitude was getting old. You can only set things on fire for so long before it stopped being funny and became really annoying. The two of them had grown so far apart that aside from the usual greetings one might expect, they haven't really talked. Now he barely even does that since he got his first steady girlfriend. She was still furious the way he spent most of her college fund on that woman's car, and had taken all of the money out of the account after that day. She had hid it in her room where Spencer would never find it and waste more of it.

She was doing well in school, but she couldn't stand the people. Three of the boys she tried to date were only using her for fame, and she had to ditch most her friends now that they only wanted shout outs on iCarly or something. The teachers were no better since Principal Franklin basically hired anyone, and they knew that. She didn't like a single one of her teachers this year and all of them seemed out to get her. One had even _told _her that he was. She had skipped more school this year than any other because of it.

Freddie hadn't been the only one thinking of leaving her life behind. She could never seem to build the nerve to actually do it. Part of it was that she'd be leaving Freddie behind if she left. He was the only one that didn't seem to have some friction or problem with her, but then she rarely ever fought with him. Even when he stopped trying to get her to date him, they seemed to be on the same page most of the time. Many people said they were boring friends because of it, but she found it refreshing.

Carly snorted to herself wondering why she was having such a tough time choosing what to do. The major reason she had stayed so long was now waiting in his van ready to leave forever. It had been overwhelming to think he was leaving her behind, but now that she was really awake the choice couldn't be any more obvious.

She hurried through her room picking up a few clothes and stuffed them in a suitcase, and grabbed her money from under her supposedly broken trampoline. Once she was sure she had everything she needed she pulled out her Pearphone and dialed.

"Hey, Freddie? I'll be there in a minute…"


	2. Chapter 2

Freddie's sweaty palms gripped the steering wheel tightly; he couldn't believe he was really doing this. He was leaving the life he had lived for so long behind, and even worse, _he didn't regret it_. He knew it would be tough. He knew luxury would be far and between, but Seattle held nothing for him. It was a terrible place that reminded him only of pain and hate.

He couldn't stand to look at his mother anymore knowing she chipped him like a dog. She had humiliated him on several occasions, said horrible things about Carly (his only true friend), and just acted like a plain old psychopath towards anyone she didn't approve. He still felt guilty for the way she hired that Gunsmoke guy, and he was furious when he found out she told Carly that she should have been hit by the truck instead of him. They did nothing but argue now, and he had spent quite a few nights sleeping in his van just to get away from her (it took all of his willpower not to leave those nights).

Then there was Sam, his ex-girlfriend and supposed best friend. Nothing had changed after they dated, or even _when _they dated. He had kept some of the more…gruesome parts of his relationship with her a secret from Carly. Sam had abused him, abused his stuff, and abused his feelings. He definitely loved her, but he finally understood domestic abuse quite intimately. Even worse, he understood the people that kept coming back no matter how much they were abused. Their breakup was a bigger relief than it should have been, and he was glad that the last bit of it was more on the physical side than anything else. It kept the abuse a lot smaller. Even still, after her saying 'I love you' he had hoped she would be less towards that attitude even if they weren't together, but she wasn't. He just couldn't stand her anymore.

Spencer didn't even matter anymore. They don't talk at all. He was a convenient use to him anymore with a steady girlfriend. The last time they talked was probably the day he got that girl of his. After that, it was more like he was a stranger than a friend.

He didn't even _like _Gibby anymore. He was acting rude and obnoxious. He cheated on Tasha after that huge fit he threw. He hit on _Carly _despite dating Tasha. His weirdness wasn't quite as funny now that they were older and more mature. He praised the stars when he stopped taking his stupid shirt off. Worse yet was the way Gibby basically muscled his way as a regular cast member of iCarly because of his popularity. It infuriated him, and he knew Carly and Sam weren't exactly thrilled either but ratings meant more at the time. He was glad to be washed of him.

He was glad to be washed of everyone except for the girl he was waiting for. When Carly had called, it had been the happiest moment of his life. First of all, he wouldn't be alone, so the trip didn't seem quite so daunting or scary. Second, Carly was the only real friend he had. Yes, she had made mistakes in the past, but things had gotten really bad for him, she was _always _there for him. It meant the world to him to have her at his side.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his window and he jumped a foot in surprise. He looked out it to see Carly there stifling her giggles. Freddie grinned a little, and rolled down the window.

"Fancy meeting you here, Miss. What can I do for ya?" He asked, grinning.

She grinned back. "I was looking for a friend of mine. Short brown hair and teasing brown eyes? Tends to speak in techno-babble that no one can understand?"

"Ah, I think I've seen him, but the information is going to cost you."

"What is it?"

"I'm afraid, Miss, that you'll have to come with me if you want to see him again."

"I'll go anywhere with you, Freddie," Carly said, unexpectedly serious.

Freddie's grin faded into a neutral look and he stared straight at her. "This is your last chance, Carls. You get in this van with me, and there's no turning back. I don't even know if I'll ever return to Seattle someday. This isn't a 'see you again,' but a 'goodbye.'"

"Freddie…Right now, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but beside you. I've wanted to leave to; you just gave me the push." Carly took his hand. "You're the only one I would truly miss if I left, so why _wouldn't _I go with you?"

Freddie searched her face for some doubt, and there was some. You couldn't do something like this and not have any doubts, but they were small. She meant what she said to him. She was ready to leave just as much as he was.

"Carly, we've got to ditch our phones and anything that can be tracked, all right? I don't want GPS picking us up."

Carly nodded and pulled out his phone as he did the same, and in unison, they threw them across the parking lot. Distantly, they heard the faint crashes as the phones hit the concrete ground and smashed. It was amazing how that little insignificant act could represent the start of a journey.

Carly climbed into the passenger seat, Freddie turned on the car, put it in gear, and without even looking back, he drove out into the roads of Seattle for the final time.


End file.
